Delhi High Court refuses urgent stay on journalist probe

The Delhi High Court has declined to grant an urgent stay on an investigation into an independent journalist, Rosy, who is accused of making casteist remarks and causing public humiliation to an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Vivek Bhagat. The court stated it could not pass an order without hearing the police's side and scheduled the matter for hearing after the Dussehra vacation on October 27.

Rosy has petitioned the court to quash the First Information Report (FIR) filed against her, alleging that the charges were filed in retaliation for a sexual assault complaint she lodged against ACP Bhagat. The journalist claims the assault occurred on October 3 while she was covering a protest near Jantar Mantar. She has sought the preservation of CCTV and body-camera footage from the vicinity of the alleged incident.

While the journalist's counsel noted that the Supreme Court had previously directed no coercive action against her, the Delhi High Court will review the case following the upcoming judicial recess. A male colleague of the journalist is also seeking to quash a separate FIR registered against him.